1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming device for forming an image on a recording medium based on communication data transmitted from communication devices and information processing devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been known an image forming device for forming an image on a recording medium based on data transmitted from external devices. More specifically, when communication data is received from an external device, the communication data is processed into image data and stored in a memory. Then, an image is formed on a recording sheet based on the image data upon request by a user. In this way, the image corresponding to the communication data can be formed.
For example, a conventional Internet facsimile device receives communication data, such as, facsimile data over a telephone circuit and also e-mail data over the Internet, and forms images on a cut sheet based on the communication data.
E-mail messages are not transmitted in page units, contrary to facsimile messages. Also, e-mail messages are extremely easy to send, so users tend to send them more frequently.
When the facsimile device forms an image on a cut sheet based on such small-sized e-mail data, the image will occupy only a small part of the cut sheet, and the remaining large part of the cut sheet will be left blank. This wastes recording medium. Also, because each e-mail message is printed on a separate cut sheet, when such small sized e-mail data is received frequently, large amounts of recording medium are wasted. The same problem will occur when small-sized facsimile messages are received.
It is an objective of the present invention to solve the above-described problems and also to provide an image forming device capable of preventing wasting recording medium when forming an image based on data transmitted from a remote device, and a method of and a recording medium storing a program of controlling the image forming device.
In order to achieve the above and other objectives there is provided an image forming device comprising a interface that receives communication data from remote devices, a first memory that stores the communication data, a second memory that stores a format, a process unit that processes specified type of communication data into compressed intermediate data based on the format, a printer that executes printing for forming a compressed image on a recording medium based on the compressed intermediate data, and a control unit that controls the printer to execute printing.
Also, there is provided an image forming device including a plurality of interfaces that receive communication data from remote devices, a first memory that stores the communication data, a second memory that stores a format, a process unit that processes the communication data which is received by a specified one of the plurality of interfaces into compressed intermediate data based on the format, a printer that executes printing for forming a compressed image on a recording medium based on the compressed intermediate data, and a control unit that controls the printer to execute printing.
Further, there is provided an image forming device including a plurality of interfaces that receive communication data from remote devices, a detection unit that detects data type of the communication data, a mode selecting unit that selects a sheet-saving mode when specified type of communication data is received and selects a normal mode when unspecified type of communication data is received, a memory that stores a sheet-saving format and a normal format, a process unit that processes the communication data into intermediate data based on the sheet-saving format when the sheet-saving mode is selected and on the normal format when the normal mode is selected, and a printer that executes printing based on the intermediate data. The sheet-saving format indicates at least one of pitch reduction rate, font size reduction rate, and whether or not to ignore a form feed code.
Still further, there is provided A method of controlling an image forming device for forming an image based on communication data received by an interface, the method comprising the steps of a) receiving communication data, b) determining whether or not the communication data is of a specified type, c) processing the communication data into compressed intermediate data based on a format when the communication data is detected to be of the specified type, d) storing the compressed intermediate data into a memory; and e) forming a compressed image based on the compressed intermediate data.
There is also provided a recording medium storing a program of controlling an image forming device. The program includes the programs of a) receiving communication data, b) determining whether or not the communication data is of a specified type, c) processing the communication data into compressed intermediate data based on a format when the communication data is detected to be of the specified type, d) storing the compressed intermediate data into a memory, e) forming a compressed image based on the compressed and intermediate data.